Adjustable wrench

ABSTRACT

A wrench having a fixed jaw and a movable jaw slidably mounted thereon, a cylindrical screw member rotatably mounted in an aperture formed on the base of the fixed jaw engaged with a rack on the movable jaw, the screw member having a bore forming socket means at each end and the base having sockets formed therein at said aperture, a first ball member interposed between one socket of said base and the socket means on one end of said screw member and a second ball member interposed between one socket of said base and the socket means on the other end of said screw member and spring means urging each of said balls to the sockets of said base.

United States Patent [191' Lindgren ADJUSTABLE WRENCH [76] Inventor: Carl R. Lindgren, 1432 S. Arlington 7 Ave., Duluth, Minn. 55811 [22] Filed: June 15, 1973 [21] Appl. N0.: 370,202

[451 Dec. 31, 1974 Primary ExaminerAl Lawrence Smith Assistant'ExaminerJames G. Smith Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Wicks & Nemer 5 7 ABSTRACT A wrench having a fixed jaw and a movable jaw slidably mounted thereon, a cylindrical screw member rotatably mounted in an aperture formed on the base of the fixed jaw engaged with a rack on the movable jaw, the screw member having a bore forming socket means at each end and the base having sockets formed therein at said aperture, a first ball member interposed between one socket of said base and the socket means on one end of said screw member and a second ball member interposed between one socket of said base and the socket means on the other end of said screw member and spring means urging each of said balls to the sockets of said base.

2 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures ADJUSTABLE WRENCH The invention relates to an improvement in an adjustable wrench. Conventional adjustable wrenches mount a shaft for the rotatable screw member which actuates a rack mounted on the movable jaw. The base of the fixed jaw has a hole extended therethrough which communicates with an aperture in which the rotatable screw is mounted. Extended through said hole is a shaft which mounts the screw with the other end of the shaft threadedly engaged in a second hole formed in the base at the aperture. The first mentioned hole has to be larger than the second mentioned so as to tap the second hole thus requiring the drilling of the two different size holes.

With the invention at hand the socket holes in the head base for mounting the balls that mount the knurled screw member are both the same diameter and thus require a single act of drilling with but one size drill. The knurled screw member is easily and simply inserted into operative position in the aperture by forcing the balls upon the spring within the axial hole of the knurled screw member and placed within the aperture of the base of the stationery jaw and then allowing the balls to be held in the sockets in the ends of the aperture.

In the drawings forming part of this application:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of the jaw end of an adjustable wrench having an adjustment screw embodying the invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged partial section through the jaw end including the adjustment screw.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view on the line 3 3 of FlG..1.

FIG. 4 illustrates a mode of insertion'of the 'adjustment screw. I

FIG. 5 isan edge view of a portion of the head of the wrench.

Referring to the drawings in detail, the wrench jaw A includes the fixed half jaw formed on the base portion 12 which is conventional. Also provided is the con-.

ventional movable halfjaw l4 conventionally mounted in the base portion 12. The movable half jaw 14 includes the rack 16 slidable in the groove 18 formed in the base portion 12, and the rack is connected to the portion 20 of the movable jaw which slides within the groove 18 in the base portion 12.

The numeral 24 designates a conventional knurled cylindrical adjustment screw, the threads of which engage the rack 16 to slidably move the jaw relative to the fixed jaw 10. The screw 24 includes the axial cylindrical bore 26 which form a socket on each end and the external threads 28. The base portion 12 includes the aperture 30 which receives the screw 24, and formed through the base portion 12 and communicating with the aperture 30 is the socket hole 32. .A socket 34 is formed opposite the hole 32 in the base 12 and in alignment with the socket hole 32. The socket hole 32 and socket 34 is formed by a single drilling from outside the base 12 inasmuch as the socket hole and socket are the same diameter.

Further provided are the. bearing members in the form of balls 36 and 38 which are of a diameter slightly greater than the diameter of the socket 34 and the socket hole 32 but slightly less than the diameter of the bore 26. The numeral 40 designates a coil spring of an outside diameter slightly less than the diameter of the bore 26 of the screw whereby the same fits within the bore.

The device is assembled by positioning the spring 40 within the bore 26 of the screw. A ball is then'held at each end of the bore 26 and upon the spring in a compressed state as in FIG. 4. The assembled unit is then positioned in the aperture 30 with the balls in engagement with the hole socket 32 and the socket 34. The balls are then urged'partially into the hole socket and socket as in FIG. 3 with the balls acting as bearings for the rotation of the screw 24 for operation of the rack 16 to move the movable jaw. With the balls slightly larger than the sockets the same ride on the socket edges and extended partially into the bore 26 as bearings for the rotatable screw.

The screw member may be removed by inserting a small instrument into the hole 32 and depressing the ball 36upon the spring and into the bore 26 simultaneously pressing a thin sharp edged instrument such as a knife down upon the ball 38 between the end of the screw and the side of the aperture whereby the ball 38 is forced into the bore against the urging of the spring. In this condition, the screw, balls and spring may be removed from the aperture 30.

I claim:

1. In a wrench having a. fixed jaw and a movable jaw slidably mounted on said fixed jaw, a cylindrical screw member rotatably mounted 'in an aperture formed on the base of the fixed jaw engaged with a rack on the movable jaw for moving said movable jaw, the improvement in the rotatably mounted screw member,

said improvement including a. a cylindrical screw member,

b. a base on said fixed jaw having c. an aperture therein d. a first socket formed in said base in alignment with said aperture, e. a second socket formed in said, base in alignment with said aperture and said first socket, f. socket means formed in saidscrew member, in-

cluding a boreextending axially through said screw member, g. a first ball member interposed between said first socket of said base and the bore on one end of said screw member, h. a second ball interposed between said second socket of said base and the bore on the other end of said screw, and

i. spring means in said bore for'urging said first and second balls into said first and second sockets. 2. The device of claim 1 in which each of saidfirst and second sockets are the .same diameter. 

1. In a wrench having a fixed jaw and a movable jaw slidably mounted on said fixed jaw, a cylindrical screw member rotatably mounted in an aperture formed on the base of the fixed jaw engaged with a rack on the movable jaw for moving said movable jaw, the improvement in the rotatably mounted screw member, said improvement including a. a cylindrical screw member, b. a base on said fixed jaw having c. an aperture therein d. a first socket formed in said base in alignment with said aperture, e. a second socket formed in said base in alignment with said aperture and said first socket, f. socket means formed in said screw member, including a bore extending axially through said screw member, g. a first ball member interposed between said first socket of said base and the bore on one end of said screw member, h. a second ball interposed between said second socket of said base and the bore on the other end of said screw, and i. spring means in said bore for urging said first and second balls into said first and second sockets.
 2. The device of claim 1 in which each of said first and second sockets are the same diameter. 